Collapsible tube dispensing device having a rigidly mounted wind-up mechanism



March 2, 1954 R. PERLMUTTER 2,670,875

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING DEVICE HAVING A RIGIDLY MOUNTED WIND-UPMECHANISM Filed Jan. 16, 1952 Arme/wf Patented Mar. 2, 1954 2,670,875 NTOFFICE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING DEVICE' HAVING' A. RIGIDLY MOUNTEDWIND-UP MECHANISM Rueben Perlmut'ter, New York, N. Y.,'Vassignor ofone-half to William Rudley, New York,'N. Y.

Application January 16, 1952, Serial No. 266,734

3 Claims. Y l

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing the contents ofcollapsible tubes in which such products as tooth paste, shaving creamand other paste preparations are packaged, and more particularly to sucha device which can be mounted on the wall of home and hotel bathrooms,or in barber shops, beauty parlors, Pullman Washrooms and thelike.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved'dispensing device of the character mentioned, affording a tubeflattening and wind-up mechanism which is rigidly mounted and hence madeeasy to operate and positive in action. Devices heretofore reliedentirely on the wind-up shaft to flatten the tube and such shaft was inmany instances diii'cult to turn because of its lateral movement towardsthe xed discharge mouth of the tube, and such shaft was called upon todo the squeezing of the tube. In my present device, the Wind-up shaftpulls Wind-up shaft which is supported for axial rothe tube rearwisethrough a flattening means While it winds up the 'flattened portion ofthe tube. Because of such novel structure and new mode of operation, mypresent device is very efficient in accomplishing the purpose for whichit is designed.

Another object hereof is to provide a dispensing device of the typedescribed, affording a casing into which a filled tube is easy to mountand from which it is easily removed when the contents of such tube isexhausted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing device ofthe nature set forth, of novel and improved construction, in which theouter casing is not subjected to any strain occasioned by theapplication of force used to ilatf ten and wind-up the tube, and hencecan-be thin-walled, light, and much cheaper to make.

A further object hereof is to provide a novel and improved dispensingdevice for the purpose mentioned, which is adaptable for all sizes oftubes.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosureproceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts' i'n-'fall theviews.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a-dispensing' device embodying theteachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken' at lines 3-'3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken at lines 4-4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal view of the wind-up shaft.

Fig. 6 is a perspective viewpf the frame-piece included in 'theillustrated embodiment: such frame-piece presenting a slot through whichthe tube is drawn to flatten same prior to the rolling up of theflattened portion of the tube on the tary movement on said frame-piece.In this preferred embodiment, such frame-piece which is secured to awall, is ofa form to serve as a sort of housing for the said wind-upshaft.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a cut-01T blade included in the preferredlembodiment illustrated herein.

In the drawings, the numeral I5 designates generally an oblong casingwhich in use position is lengthwise along the vertical. Such casing iscomprised of a front box member I6 and a rear box member I'l, hingedtogether at I8 along one side lof the casing they make. At the otherside of the casing, along most of its length, the meeting edges of thebox members have a lengthwise cut-out so that when the casingvis shut asin Fig. 1, the lengthwise slot I9 is formed. This slot is communicativewith an enlarged opening in the side wall portion of the rear box memberI1. This opening is of a size to permit the tube wind-up member 2I andthe gear 22 to be inserted into and withdrawn from the casing I5, aspart of the unitary structure securely carried on the shaft 23, adaptedto be turned by its knob 24.

It may here be noted that upon assembly of the` device, the wind-upmember 2| is within the housing offered by the frame-piece 26, while thepart of the shaft 23 exposed between the gear 22 and lthe knob 24, ispositioned through said slot I9 in the casing wall.

The frame-piece 26 is adapted for attachment to a wall by means ofscrews 21 through the holes 28 in bracket element 29. Said frame piecealso serves to removably hold an end of the wind-up member 2|, for axialrotation in the reduced socket portion 30; the housing bore 25 beinglarger than the diameter of the wind-up member 2I, to provide space 32for winding up the flattened portion of the `collapsible tube 3 I. In`

said frame-piece there is a slot 33 communicative with the bore 25. Thisslot serves as a die through which the tube v3l is drawn. Sidewiseentrance into said slot 33 between the elements`l 34 forming said die,is possible.

lThe back wall of the rearV box member I'I', has

a lengthwise slot offering'the flanges 35 whichare slidably positionedin the vertical slots 36 respectively. Hence,'said frame-piece 26 alsoserves a's a track for movement of the casing along the vertical. A rack31 is mounted on the inner surface of the front box member I6, and is inconstant engagement with the gear 22 when the casing I5 is shut and thedevice is set into use condition. When the front box meml"ber I6 isopened 'as a door, it of course carries-'f the rack 31 away'from'"sfa'id'lgear"22. The bot?l tom wall of-the casing I 5, is providedwithl an" interior counterbore to serve as a socket 38 for the tubesnozzle 39, and a discharge orifice 40 for the stuff forced from withintheA .tube 3|. Such socket :and orifice are formed by meeting notches inthe casing members I6 and I1. Also to be noted, is the face ratchet 4|on the gear 22; the teeth of which face ratchet engage the teeth 42fixed on the frame-piece 26. `Hooks 43 serve as latch means to keep thecasing .l5 shut. The numeral 44 indicates a slidably mounted cut-offblade which is linger-operated and `same. may be spring-loaded as by aspring 45.

Let us consider the device assembled as in Fig. l and Fig. 3, but minusthe tube 3|. Also .let us disregard for the moment, the presence of theface gear 4|. Whendoor I6 is opened, the casing I5 would fall to vitslowest position on the frame piece26; The casing is so dimensioned thatin its lowest position, the distance from the socket 38 Ato theperiphery. of. the wind-up roller 32, is slightly greater than thelongest length of tubel to be accommodated.

"The .usual closure cap onthe .nozzle 3.9 of the tube'3l, is discarded.The .tube is held inverted. The knob 24 is turned until the radial slot46 is in ,register .with the die slot 33, whereupon the tubes closureedging '41 is set through lsaid die slot .and upwardly into the radialslot d6 of the wind-up .roller 2|. The casing I5 is then raised by hand.until the nozzle 3.9 ofA the tube rests in socket 38w`hereupon the door.i6 is shut. The gear 22 now engages the .rack .3l and the casing maybelocked by .the latchmeans d3. The cutoi blade 44 inrest position,.serves .to close openin?,r All.

.'Now, to eject .stuifrom :the tube 3| -out through the discharge.opening All, .the blade M .is .slid for hole thercof to.comei-nregister with said discharge opening, .andthen .knob 2li isturned a bit clock-wise to draw the tube upwardly through the flatteningdie slot 33, and Wind up Athe so attenedportion `or the tube, onto .the.wind-up roller` :24. .Upon return 4of the .blade to itsnormal rest'position, vthe stuff ejected is .cut off and the opening 4B closedagain. Such movement of the knob 24 and incidentall-yfof .the shaft .23and all it carries, will cause -thecasingdli :to rigey a bit due`to-action of fthegear 22 which is in engagementwith the rack 31, Thepitch -of these should conform'` to wind-up roller `take-up. When thetube-contents is-spent, thecasing l5 will be in such position that itsopening 20 will be concentric withtheshaft 23.

`Upon opening the door 4Hi vat this time, the wind-up shaft 23 ltogetherYwith the Wound-sup Spent tube 3| -onthe-roller 2:|, may be removed fromthe Lcasing .i5 by movement longitudinally of; vsaid shaft, throughtheopening 20. The wound-up tube is then removed from the roller 2:|. rlIheopen casi-ng |15- is then held raised so that the opening 2-53 isregister with the housing bore 25d-n the frame-piece V2-6, whereuponthe; unit ci Fig. 5 .may again be mounted and the operation of placing-a new tube 3|V repeated.

When the t-ube- 3| is comparatively large sothatits weight might-causean unwinding from offtheV roller 2|, and' to avoid the casings fallingIdue to its -own weight-when 'its door is closed, it is advisable toinclude the face gear teeth 4| for engagement with the'teeth 42 on theframepiece 26, .to avoidV -suchfrom happening. The springiness-of; thecasi-ng material is relied on tonie-lato permit the-passing-ofsuchengageable teeth 4| and 42, when the knob 24 is turned.

When .small-sized tubes. 3i` .are-used the stiiness of the convolutions.of the completely iiattened tube portion wound on the roller 2|, wouldbe sufficient to avoid their unwinding.

lt is advisable that the face gear whose teeth are .denoted 4by thenumeral 4|, be a ratchet gear, so vthat the knob 24 can be turned onlyto wind up.

Although 'item 3| is commonly called a tube, its `structure is that of acontainer, one end of which is closed and iiattened and its opposite-end`hasa dischargeorice 39.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applicationswithout departing from the essential features .herein disclosed. It iStherefore .intended `and desired that the Vembodiment shown herein -be.deemed illustrative .and not restrictive and that the patent shallcover all patentab'le novelty herein set forth; referencefbeing yhad tothe following claims rather than to .the specific .description herein toindicate the scope of `this invention.

I claim:

l. In aedispensing device of the character described, -the combinationof a collapsible container atleast partly .filled With a pastepreparation; vsaid container Abeing attened at one end and Vvprovidedwith adischargeorice at its .opposite end, .a frame adapted to besecured onto a wall, .means Vfixed on the .frame presenting an elongatedopening adapted to ilatten the -contadner when said container-is drawn'through said elongated opening, a Wind-up means rotatably mounted onthe .iframe for rotationabout an axis adjacent .saidgopening providedwith means to engage thel flattened-end .of the container; 'theflattened end yof -said container .being positioned4 throughsaid-elongated open-ing and held'by .said engagement means, a=casinghai/mg a. discharge opening, slidably mounted on the frame along a Vlineperpendicular-to the axis of rotationof the Wind-.up rmeans .and housingthe `collapsible 'container and all the mentioned means; `the dischargeorifice lofv the container being com-municative with the dischargeopening of said casing., .a .gear and asshaft on and rotating With theWind-up means.; saidA shaft extending exterior the casing and a rackysecured to thecasing along the line of movement of said casing and inengagement Withsaid gear whereby -on rotation of the wind-upmeansrelative `to the frame, paste from within the said-container will beejected from-.said discharge `orifice. Aand thence through thedischarge.openingof .the casing.

2. A4,'.dis-pensingydevice as defined in claim 1, including means on theframe to hold the case inginanyset .positionwhile the wind-up means isat rest; said holdingrneans including'at least one tooth in detachableengagement With any -of the rmovable vcomponents and resilient means formaintaining such engagement.

3. A dispensing device as defined in claim 2, wherein the-casing. is `ofa `material Vhaving resilient qual-ity and v.ser-ves as `the resilientmeans.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date V` Ziegler Dec. 5, 1939 Number

